Saturday, April 18, 2015

The Never-Ending To-Be-Read Pile and Other Book Nerd Problems

If you’re reading this post, I’m sure you know that I use the term “book nerd” in the most loving way possible. I’ve recently started posting some of my observations on Facebook and Twitter with the hashtag “booknerdproblems,” and figured it might also make a fun topic for a blog post.

As part of my research, I spent some time perusing Pinterest, Twitter, and Tumblr and found plenty of material to pull from, which some might consider a book nerd problem in itself. Read on to see if you’ve ever experienced any of the “problems” below:
The book hangover. A few weekends ago, I desperately felt liked I needed a mental health break. Even though I had a zillion things to do around the house, I made the choice to download a book from one of my favorite authors, Elin Hilderbrand, that I hadn’t read yet. I parked myself on the couch until I finished the book several hours later, and after my kids had wandered through the room a few times and even brought me a box of tissues at one point. The result was that I had what I like to call a “book hangover” for the next two days. It’s a cross between a headache and eyestrain, and simply not being able to stop thinking about what you just read. It’s awesome.

When you take a letter written by a fictional character personally. Have you ever read a letter in a novel or memoir that either takes your breath away or leaves you wide-eyed and clutching one hand over your chest? It’s happened to me several times. One that stands out in my mind vividly is the letter Will writes to Lou at the end of “Me Before You” by Jojo Moyes. I won’t give any spoilers if you haven’t read the book, but wow.

When your TBR pile is taller than you, but you keep buying new/used books and checking them out from the library. Ah, yes. I know this one well. I have a slight problem with entering book giveaways (I swear I get a rush of adrenaline every time I come across a Rafflecopter form!) and I’ve been blessed with good luck. I have so many copies of books that haven’t even been read on my bookshelves. I've never met a book section of a thrift store that I didn't love. Also--when authors find out you like to review books, they often reach out to you and offer you free copies in exchange for reviews. And who wants to turn down a free book?
You feel guilty if you watch a movie without first reading the book. I’m not sure why this is, but I feel dishonest if I make plans to see a movie without first reading the book. There have been so many cases where I didn’t read a book when it first came out, only to break down and read it a few years later after the movie trailer had been released. I did this with John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars, One Day by David Nicholls, and Kathryn Stockett’s The Help, to name a few.

So now I'd love to hear about your own book nerd issues. Share in the comments below!

Renee Roberson is an award-winning freelance writer and editor who is also obsessed with books new, old, and digital. At any given time you can find her reading three to four books simultaneously. When she’s not reading, she also writes fiction, articles for regional magazines, and works as a blog tour manager at WOW! Women on Writing. Visit her website at www.finishedpages.com.

I work part time at a library. It's like sending a drug addict to work at the drug store! Personally, I am blaming my bedside table for the 40 plus books on it. And that corner of the room with the stack of books ready to topple...I don't have a problem.

Sioux--If I had a list of TBR's I would most surely lose it. "Me Before You" is a great book but it tackles the very tough issue of the right to die (the author is British and some of the book takes place in Switzerland), and I knew this before going in, but is still tore me up!

Judy--I can't imagine the temptation of working in a library or bookstore. I'm already at our library at least two times a week with my kids, because they keep getting online and requesting books that we then have to go pick up. Not sure why I thought it was a great idea to teach them how to do that . . . And I also have one of those nightstands that doubles as a small bookcase. It has three small shelves, filled with books :-)

This is so me, in so many ways! Especially the part of the adrenaline rush when you talk about getting a "new" book. Since I recently retired last June from teaching, I have been bringing my old books to donate, to my local library. I was chuckling to myself as I was reading this. It makes me realize there are many more of us out there! Now if we could add on an extension to our homes for the extra books, we will be cooking!

But sometimes, I do actually stop myself from buying a new book. That in itself is an accomplishment.

I love this post! That's so funny, Renee, I feel the same way about movies. When I heard Gone Girl was coming out I rushed to the bookstore and read it in two days before seeing the movie, which I thought was a fantastic adaptation. I've also experienced the book hangover! Book nerds unite!

Shannon--I was in the library with my daughter today, literally sitting on my hands to keep from grabbing any more books to take home with me. Luckily, I succeeded. Glad to hear there are so many book junkies out there!

Angela--I don't think I read Gone Girl either until I heard about the movie version! Then I dragged my husband to see the movie--he was a little scared afterward! I had a book hangover just this morning after finishing the YA Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver.